NEW DELHI, March 2024: Mr Satyendra Kumar, Director, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Govt of India while addressing the FICCI’s 8th edition of ‘International Sustainability Conclave 2024’, supported by MoEF&CC, today urged the industry, being an important and capable stakeholder, to be at the forefront of organizing itself and communicating the progress made in the sustainability journey over all these years.
Addressing the Conclave, organized by FICCI Centre of Sustainability Leadership, Mr Kumar further stated that the government policies and laws are already in place which is providing an enabling framework for the industries to adopt the path of sustainability. “If the company follows the government led rules, then around 50 per cent of sustainability journey is already covered,” he emphasized.
Mr Kumar stated that the industry must also come forward to identify the challenges and gaps in the policies for the overall implementation of the rules.
Mr David McLachlan-Karr, Regional Director, UN Development Coordination Office, Asia-Pacific said that it is time to fast-forward our ambitions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda to be achieved by 2030, for which business is an indispensable partner. “The next few years will be critical in achieving the SDGs and India will play a crucial role in it. Women are major drivers for economic growth, and we will never achieve the SDGs until more women are employed. Women must be given decent wages and equal opportunities in the workplace,” he added.
Ms Naina Lal Kidwai, Past President, FICCI and Chair, FICCI Water Mission said that innovation lies at the heart of achieving sustainability targets while ensuring inclusive growth. “As India targets its growth, Indian businesses have a unique opportunity to leverage the emerging sustainability agenda to build new skills and develop new business models that are in sync with the UN SDGs. The path to a new India therefore lies in taking appropriate risks, and embracing a vision of an economy in which we achieve a fine balance between the livelihood requirements of our people, and the protection of our environment,” she added.
Mr Mahendra Singhi, Chair, FICCI Environment and Climate Change Committee and Member of the Board of Directors and Strategy Advisor, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd said that FICCI believes that the corporate sector’s engagement will help promote efficiencies in achieving sustainability goals in every sphere.
Mr Deepak Subramanian, Executive Director- Home Care, Hindustan Unilever Limited and Dr Mukund Govind Rajan, Mentor, FICCI Environment and Climate Change Committee and Chairman, ECube Investment Advisors Private Ltd also shared their perspectives during the event.
